Portable dark room.



N0. 694,22I. Patented Feb. 25, I902.

' A. WERNER.

PORTABLE DARK ROOM.

(Applicatiori filed Mar. 20, 1901.

(No Model.) A 2 Shets-Sheet I.

WITNESSES: INVENTOH W F, fl flieri%rne7 r v ATTORNEYS Nb. 694,22l. I vPatented Feb. 25, I902.

A. WERNER.

PORTABLE DARK ROOM.

' (Application filed In. 20, 1901.

(H Model.) 2 Sheets$heet 2.

IN VENTOR ./%e2?e772e7" A TTORNE YS To all whom it may concern.-

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFICE.

ALBERT WVERNER, OF LIBERTY, NEW YORK.

PORTABLE D RK ROOM.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 694,221, dated February25, 1902.

Application filed March 20,

Be it known that I, ALBERT WERNER, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Liberty, in the county of Sullivan and State of New York,have invented a new and Improved Portable Dark Room, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invent-ion relates to portable dark rooms such as shown anddescribed in the Letters Patent of the United States, No. 666,988,granted to me on January 29, 1901.

The object of the present invention is to provide a new and improvedportable dark room arranged to'enable a'photographer to readily fillplate-holders and develop exposed plates or films, to allowofconveniently regulating the amount of light admitted to the interiorof thedark-room, to enable the operator to temporarily withdraw from themain box without danger of light strikinga plate in the process ofdeveloping, and to insure a cons'tant supply of fresh air to theinterior of the box.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations ofthe same, as will be fully described,.hereinafter and then pointed outin the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in whichsimilar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all theviews.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the im provement with the front swunginto an open position. Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section of theimprovement on the line 2 2 in Fig. 4:. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectionof the same on the line 3 3 in Fig. 4 and with the front closed; andFig. 4 is a sectional plan view of the same on the line 4 4 in Fig. 2and with the front open.

The improved portable dark room is provided with a main box A, on thefront end of which is hinged a cover B, adapted to be fastened by asuitable fastening device B to the main box, as is plainly illustratedin Fig. 3. The cover B is provided with a pane B of translucent"material, preferably orange or red glass,'and the said pane is adaptedto be covered on the inside by a shield B of transparent rubyfiber-cloth or the like attached to a frame hinged to a frame 13 securedto Serial No. 52,067. (No model.)

the cover B and likewise covered with transparent ruby fiber-cloth, sothat when the shield B is swung into a lowermost position, as shown inFig. 3, the pane B and the said cover prevent strong rays Oflight fromen tering into the interior of the box. When the device is used,however, for developing purposes, the cover B is swung up, so as toallow rays of light to pass into the box by way of the pane B to enablethe operator to see sufficiently for performing the desired operations.

The sides of the main box A are provided with openings A, extendingrearwardly from the front end of the sides, and said openings areadapted to receive flanges G of auxiliary boxes 0 0, extending at rightangles outwardly from the sides of the main box A, as

is plainly shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4, the boxes being locked in placein the openings A by the cover B when the latter is in a closedposition. When the boxes 0 O are in position on the sides of the mainbox A, they open to the interior of the main boxto enable the operatorto place trays in said auxiliary boxes when using the dark room, ashereinafter more fully described. The auxiliary box 0 is formed with anauxiliary partition 0 to produce a top and bottom compartment, of whichthe upper compartment is normally closed by a suitable hinged door 0 asis plainly shown in Fig. 2. By this arrangement the upper compartmentcan be used for placing filled trays with partly-developed platestherein and keeping the plates from being lightstruck in case theoperator withdraws his head and arms from the dark room.

In the top of the main box A, near the front end thereof, is arranged anopening A opening into a hood 'D, of flexible material, and secured tothe top of the main box A, around the said opening, as is plainlyindicated in the drawings. The outer end of this hoodD is provided withan elastic band D, adapted to pass around saidend at the time the end isaround the operators neck, so as to securely close the end of the hoodD, and thereby prevent rays of light from passing to the interior of themain box when the operator uses the dark room. A cover E, of flexiblematerial,

ble cover prevents any possibility of rays of light penetrating themeshes of the hood, and consequently prevents any rays from entering theinterior of the main box.

In the sides of the main box A atthe rear of the auxiliary boxes 0 O areformed openings leading to sleeves F F, of flexible material, andadapted to be engaged by the arms of the operator, the outer ends ofsaid sleeves being formed with elastic draw-bands I to hold the ends ofthe sleeves in firm position on the operators arm to prevent rays oflight from passing through the sleeves to the interior of the box A.

In the rear portion of the main box A and near the top thereof arearranged guideways A for a box-shelf G, preferably formed with twocompartments normally closed at their front ends by suitable doors G, asindicated in Figs. 2 and 3. Into the hood adjacent to the opening Aextends a mouthpiece H for the operator to breath in, said mouthpieceopening into a channel H, extending rearwardly to the back of the mainbox and then sidewise to an opening H in the side of the main box, asindicated in Fig. 4. On the under side of the top of the main box and atthe sides thereof are arranged channels I I, opening at their front endsinto the interior of the box and connecting at their rear ends with sideopenings 1 formed in the sides of the main box and leading to-theoutside. New by constructing the channels H and I I with angles, asshown, it is evident that rays of light cannot pass through thesechannels from the outside to the interiorof the box; but at the sametime the channel H forms a discharge for the breath of the operator,while the channels I 1 allow fresh air to pass into the interior'of themain box to supply sufficient air to the operator to enable theoperator'to work comfortably while filling plateholders or developingplates, &c.

In order to enable the operator to securely fill plate-holders withplates, the operator first places the plates in the box and with themthe holders to be filled and then closes the door or cover 13 and swingsthe shield B into a closed position, as indicated in Fig. 3, to renderthe interior of the main box as dark as possible. The operator newplaces his head into the hood D and his arms into the sleeves F F towork within the box with his hands and to see the operations by lookingthrough the opening A into the interior of the box. The operator thenfills the plateholders in the usual way.

In developing plates five trays are usually employedtwo for the hypo,one for the water, and one for the developer, and one large tray forpreventing water from spilling inside of the box. The first operation isto place the plates exposed and contained in the holders in theauxiliary compartment 0, and when the operator is ready to proceed theholders are successively removed and opened and the exposed plateswithdrawn and placed in the ing them in any way.

ceeds in the usual manner to develop the exbox-shelf G. The doors G areclosed, so that rays of light are not liable to strike the exposedplates. The holders are then removed entirely from the dark room,allowing of plenty of room to operate, and thus preventing the holdersfrom getting wet or endanger- The operator now proposed platessuccessively or in pairs in the trays held in the front part of the mainbox A. The operator may at any time during the operation withdraw fromthe box without danger of injury to any of the plates, whetherundeveloped or in the process of developing.

Such plates can be kept securely locked in the box-shelf and apartly-developed plate can be placed in the compartment in the auxiliarybox 0, provided with a door G.

When it is desired to transport the dark room from one place to another,the auxiliary boxes 0 O are detached from the sides of the main box andplaced inside thereof through the door B, then in an open position, andthen the hood II and its cover E are pushed through the opening A to theinside of the box, and the sleeves F F are treated in a like manner, sothat the whole dark room can be readily moved from one place to anotheror carried conveniently and comfortably.

The provision of the auxiliary boxes 0 0 allows of continuousdevelopment. This is a very important feature of the dark room, as oneplate after another may be developed without delay and in much quickertime than heretofore done.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent- 1. Aportable dark room, comprising a main boxhaving an inner flexible hood secured around an opening in the top ofthe box, and a flexible protective coverseparate from and looselysurrounding the hood and likewise fastened to the top of the box, as setforth.

2. Aportable dark room, comp-risinga main box having a flexible hoodsecured around an opening in the top of the box, and having an elasticdraw-band at its outer end, and a flexible protective cover separatefrom andloosely surrounding the hood and likewise fastened to the top ofthe box, as set forth.

3. A portable dark room, comprising a main box having its front endclosed by a cover having a pane and adapted to be opened, the sides ofthe box having openings extending rearwardly from the opening in thefront end, and auxiliary boxes open only at one side and adapted to beinserted in said openings when said cover is open, the cover when closedlooking said auxiliary boxes in place, as set forth.

4. Aportable dark room, comprisingamain box having its hinged cover endclosed by a front having a pane, the sides of the box having openingsextending rearwardly from the opening in the cover end, guideways alongthe upper and lower ends of said side openings, and auxiliary boxes openat one side and adapted to be inserted in said guideways when the coveris open, the cover when closed locking said auxiliary boxes in place, asset forth.

5. A portable dark-room, comprising a main box having its hinged coverend closed by a front having a pane and providedon its inner face with ashield for the pane, the sides of the box having openings extendingrearwardly from the opening in the front end, and auxiliary boxes openonly at one side and adapted to be inserted in said openings when saidcover is open, the cover when closed locking said. auxiliary boxes inplace, said auxiliary boxes having horizontal partitions to form upperand lowencompartments.

6. Aportable dark room, comprising a main box having its hinged coverend closed by a front having a pane and provided on its inner face witha shield for the pane, the sides of the box having openings extendingrearwardly' from said front end, and auxiliary boxes open only at oneside and adapted to be inserted in said openings when said cover isopen, the cover when closed locking said auxiliary boxes in place, saidauxiliary boxes having horizontal partitions to form upper and lowercompartments, one of said cornpartmen ts being normally closed at theinner side by a hinged door, as set forth.

7. In a portable dark room, the coinbina-- tion with the main box havingat its front a hinged cover provided with a pane, of a shield for thepane on the inner face of the cover, said shield comprising a fixedsection and a hinged section, as set forth.

., In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- ALBERT WERNER. Witnesses:

ROBERT McCoNnAoH, HARRY INTEMANN.

